What is Raynaud's?

When I was in school, my friends called me "dead hands" because they would turn blue with cyanosis. Even stranger was when they would also turn white. Sometimes they would appear red, white and blue - all at the same time! They were numb. I'd thump a finger on the desk and it felt like it was someone else's hand. Raynaud's was the first visually undeniable inclination we had that I was an autoimmunie.

Raynaud's (or Reynaud's) is a condition that may be primary (not associated with other disease, called Raynaud's Disease) or secondary to another disease (then called Raynaud's Phenomenon). In the case of most autoimmunies, their Raynaud's is a result of their autoimmune condition. It is much more frequently found in women than men.

Raynaud's is a condition of the sympathetic nervous system. This is a part of your nervous system which you cannot control. Sweating is a part of the sympathetic nervous system. When you become hot, your brain signals your body to to cool itself by sweating.

Raynaud's is an overreaction of the sympathetic nervous system. A tiny breath of cool air, handling a vibrating tool or steering wheel, or a little stress is all that it takes for the body to assume it's going to die and take precautions to save the most important organs. The blood vessels of the extremities squeeze very tight, resulting in numbness and color change.

Raynaud's may affect any or all of the extremities including fingers and toes, hands and feet, arms and legs, chin, nose and lips, and ears. It is the most common symptom podiatrists encounter. Raynaud's patients are often called 'Frosties'. These patients frequently have other diseases and disorders that involve the abnormal constriction of blood vessels such as Migraine, variant angina and pulmonary hypertension.

There are four phases to a classic Raynaud's attack:

1. Pallor - loss of color. May appear abnormally white because arteries are constricted, blood flow restricted.
2. Cyanosis - area turns blue to purple as tissues become oxygen starved.
3. Rubor - circulation returns and the area turns red. It may also swell.
4. Normalization

Not all four phases are always seen with each attack, or in each person. If a woman with Raynaud's becomes pregnant she may see a decline or elimination of symptoms due to increased blood flow. Raynaud's of the breast in a nursing mother can be extremely painful however.

Raynaud's is usually found bilaterally. Rarely it is unilateral - found on only one side of the body. In either case, there is often a distinct line of color change on the extremity, from white, to blue to red.

Usually Raynaud's is fairly self-limiting. However, it can be severe and attacks long-lasting, resulting in tissue death and the need for amputation. Eventually in even moderate cases, permanent damage can occur in the underlying tissues including skin, muscles, blood vessels, nails.

Although there are medicines that many patients find helpful to control their Raynaud's, the best thing to do is to avoid triggering an attack in the first place.

Next, Raynaud's triggers - a list